I have fulfilled my promise of not staying long at PCB: Sethi
LAHORE: Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chairman Najam Sethi on Friday strongly dismissed various allegations levelled against him by opposition parties with reference to him having been awarded the top cricket post as a favour by the ruling PML-N for his role as caretaker Punjab chief minister in the last general elections.
Addressing an Iftar dinner gathering held in his honour by former LCCA president Khawaja Nadeem Ahmad at a hotel here on Thursday, Sethi said he has lived up to his promise of not clinging to the PCB post forever and Friday would be his last working day as the Board’s chairman.
“I have fulfilled my promise of not playing a long innings in the PCB by resigning last week,” Sethi said.
Court ruling makes me rightful chairman of the PCB: Sethi
“The prime minister had offered me this post after taking me to a separate room during a function, where he showed me a list of 35 people who were keen to bag the chairman PCB’s job. The PM said that he wanted to give this post to me in order to put things right at the PCB and for restoring the country’s image at the ICC,” Sethi recalled.
He said his tenure remained turbulent due to cases pending in the courts but added that he had to a large extent completed the task handed to him by the PM. Sethi further said that he would also be writing a book to explain his views about working in the PCB.
Earlier, he also presided over a meeting of the PCB management committee to offer his thanks for extending cooperation to him.
However, a couple of prominent cricket personalities like former PCB chairman Shaharyar Khan and former Test leg-spinner Iqbal Qasim were missing from that meeting.
It is instructive to note that Sethi had made an announcement at the Supreme Court last week that he has resigned from the post and would not be contesting the next PCB elections.
The apex court asked him to continue working for the next seven days and till then the government will issue a notification of appointing an acting PCB chairman to hold fresh elections within the next 30 days.
Published in Dawn, July 25th , 2014